“Now is not the time to be weakening CSU-Pueblo, but strengthening it,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter. “Now is not the time to be cutting jobs, but creating them.”

Cuts could mean the layoff of as many as 50 faculty and staff in 2015-16 fiscal year, at a time when other institutions in the CSU system are expanding. They say CSU-Pueblo is a federally recognized Hispanic-serving institution with a proven track record of serving Hispanic and at-risk students.

They also point out that Northern Colorado already has numerous options for a four-year or advanced degree, while CSU-Pueblo stands alone for the area south of Colorado Springs.

“Our community was under the impression, because we were promised, that joining the CSU system would protect CSU-Pueblo from dramatic shifts, and that a larger university system would provide collective institutional protection,” the lawmakers wrote. “This does not seem to be the case today.”

Martin is scheduled to come to the CSU-Pueblo campus Friday to answer questions about the cuts.